Towed Car Help

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Car towed in Fairbanks

Fairbanks is in Fairbanks North Star Borough County, Alaska. Here is how to find your car, what you can be charged, and what to do if the tow looks wrong. Last checked 2026-10-17.

Storage fees grow every day. Get your car back as soon as you can, even if you plan to dispute the tow. Pay, keep every receipt, and fight the charges afterward.

Find who towed your car

Street parking or a police tow

In Fairbanks, call the Fairbanks Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it.

Apartment, store, or private lot

Look for a tow-away sign at the lot entrance. It often shows the tow company's name and phone number.

No sign, or you can't find it? The company must report the tow to police, so call the police non-emergency line and ask where your car went.

No record of a tow anywhere? Report the car to police as possibly stolen.

What they can charge

We have not verified local maximum rates for Fairbanks yet. Ask the tow company for its rate sheet. It must give you one on request.

Estimate your bill

What to bring

  • You must present satisfactory proof of ownership or right to possession to redeem a car removed under the abandoned-vehicle chapter.
  • Payment. Call ahead to ask which types the lot takes.

AS 28.11.060

Getting it back

  • Inspect the car before you drive away, and photograph any damage.

How to dispute a tow

  1. Collect evidence. Photograph the lot entrances and any signs, keep every receipt, and write down times and names.
  2. Ask for an itemized invoice. Ask the company for a written, itemized bill listing every charge.
  3. File a complaint.
  4. Consider small claims or a chargeback. Small claims in Alaska district court cover claims up to $10,000, excluding costs, interest and attorney fees, when you request small claims handling. If you paid by credit card, you can dispute the charge with your card issuer. For billing errors, your written dispute generally must reach the issuer within 60 days of the first bill showing the charge. Whether a tow charge qualifies is up to the issuer.

Deadlines to watch

Your car can be sold. Under the towing lien, a car unclaimed for 30 days must be sold after 20 days notice of the sale. The notice must be served on the owner and lienholders, or mailed certified if they cannot be found.

Unless you have already reclaimed the car, the tower must send a certified letter to the registered owner and primary lienholder within seven working days of the first tow or storage. It goes to the address on file with the state motor vehicle department.

Alaska deadlines, counted from the law

  • Tower must send certified letter to owner and lienholder within: 7 business days after the tow. AS 28.10.502(b) (opens in a new tab)
  • Storage stops counting toward the lien after: 60 days (see the law for when the count starts), if unless actual notice was given or the certified letter was mailed on time. AS 28.10.502(b) (opens in a new tab)
  • Sale allowed 20 days after notice of sale (car unclaimed for 30 days): 20 days (see the law for when the count starts), if towing-lien sale (AS 28.10.502); car unclaimed for 30 days. AS 28.10.502(c) (opens in a new tab)

See the dates for your tow

Common questions

Where is my car if it was towed in Fairbanks?

In Fairbanks, call the Fairbanks Police Department non-emergency to find out whether your car was towed and which company has it. For a private tow, the tow company must report it to police, so the police non-emergency line can usually tell you where the car is.

How much can a tow company charge in Fairbanks?

Local maximum rates for private-property tows in Fairbanks are not verified on this site yet. Ask the tow company for its posted rate sheet, which it must give you on request.

How long before a towed car is sold in Alaska?

Under the towing lien, a car unclaimed for 30 days must be sold after 20 days notice of the sale. The notice must be served on the owner and lienholders, or mailed certified if they cannot be found.

Do I pay storage if I get my car back quickly?

Ask the tow company when storage charges begin.

Not verified yet for Fairbanks

We only publish details we could confirm from an official source. These are still missing, so ask the agencies above:

  • Addresses and hours of the tow lots that hold police tows
  • An official online lookup for towed cars
  • Local maximum rates for private-property tows
  • City-specific documents needed to pick up a car
  • Local rules for someone else picking up your car
  • Local auction schedules for unclaimed cars

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-17. These are the laws and official pages this page is based on.